Davosa surprised me with the Apnea Diver because they actually managed to do something few brands are able to do these days. What's that? Make a diver's watch that looks nice, but doesn't look like everyone else's product. The reality is that most of the time when a watch brand wants to produce anything but a "me too" design, the result feels lacking (or simply ugly).

In the wonderful world of Grand Seiko, if it’s not using a quartz crystal – and, yes, that includes the Spring Drive – then inside is a Caliber 9S movement. Introduced in 1998, the Caliber 9S is the staple of all mechanical Grand Seikos and forms the base for everything from humble three-handers to hi-beats and GMTs. This year, Grand Seiko are celebrating the 20th birthday of the 9S with – in addition to quite a few other LEs – the release of the Grand Seiko Blue Ceramic Hi-Beat GMT “Special” Limited Edition.

Driven by the passion for cutting-edge technological complexity shared by Roger Dubuis and Lamborghini Squadra Corse, the ultra high-performance Excalibur Aventador S Blue live up to the partnerships “Powered by Raging Mechanics” signature. This model is propelled by the specially developed and impressive Duotor (double balance wheels) concept in a totally revamped 312-part RD103SQ movement.

The sudden and prolific onslaught of microbrands in the watch world is a product of the ingenuity of independent designers that want to do their own thing. Utilizing platforms like Kickstarter and Gofundme, they gain the capital needed to create a product of impressive quality and reasonable price while appealing to a very wide audience. Zelos is a great example and they're a Singapore-based watch company captained by Elshan Tang that focuses their design on utilizing special and unusual materials like Bronze, Carbon Fiber, and Meteorite.

For Baselworld 2018, Tokyo-based Citizen unveiled a re-designed chronograph model that directly channels their 1972 Challenge Timer series of watches. The watches had a reasonable following due to what is known as the "Bullhead" structure – meaning that the crown and pushers are at 12 o'clock instead of the traditional 3 o'clock position. The Citizen Tsuno Chronograph Racer looks and feels like someone put a strap on a stopwatch.

On occasion of Baselworld 2018,Swiss Patek Philippe presented the very first chronograph in the Aquanaut collection, a complication which is perfectly in line with the sporty and dynamic character of the timepiece.

Swiss Mido has been bringing it on strong as of late. I say this because I've gone from not paying particularly close attention to the brand to being genuinely intrigued and looking into models that they've been releasing. You'd anticipate that 2018 would be a big year for the brand (being as it's the 100-year anniversary), and you'd be right. To help celebrate that centenarian mark, we've got the Mido Commander Shade Special Edition watch.
Specifications

Seiko debuted its (and Japan’s) first dive watch – the ref. 6217 or ‘62Mas’ as you may know it – back in 1965, some ten years after most of the major Swiss players had introduced their dive watches. Designed for maximum reliability and legibility in the harshest conditions, it was first used on polar expeditions by the Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition from 1966 to 1969 before finding commercial success as a recreational dive watch.

Sit down and have a serious discussion with any budding watch collector and you can probably bet that at some point, the two of you will eventually land on the topic of dive watches. There's no way around it – we're crazy about them, obsessed with the durability, and in some cases, I've seen folks collect hundreds of them, if not more. But that can get, boring, right?

Sit down and have a serious discussion with any budding watch collector and you can probably bet that at some point, the two of you will eventually land on the topic of dive watches. There's no way around it – we're crazy about them, obsessed with the durability, and in some cases, I've seen folks collect hundreds of them, if not more. But that can get, boring, right?